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The British administration is being urged to "take responsibility" and reimburse the £24.5 million cost incurred during recent visits by former President Trump and Vice-President Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a senior Scottish minister.

Substantial Estimated Expenses Disclosed

Provisional expenses totalling almost £24.5m for the two working visits have been made public by the administration in Edinburgh.

Public Finance Minister McKee described the UK government's unwillingness to offer financial support as "absurd," arguing that both trips were clearly work-related, pointing out that the US president held meetings with EU Commission president the EU's von der Leyen and British PM Keir Starmer during his July visit in Scotland.

Details of the Visits and Related Policing Costs

Donald Trump toured his golfing resorts at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie over a five-day period in the summer, while US vice-president JD Vance spent around four days in the Ayrshire region in August.

In a written communication to the Treasury minister Chief Secretary Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison stated that the visits placed "substantial operational and financial burdens on Scottish public services, particularly the Scottish police force."

The Edinburgh administration calculates that the estimated expense for policing the presidential visit by itself was £21 million, which reflected peak daily deployments of over 4,000 officers, while costs for the VP's visit were approximately £3m.

Complex Policing Operation

This complex security mission was the largest in the country since the passing of the late Queen in 2022, and included local officers, national divisions, volunteer officers and wider UK colleagues for expert assistance.

Robison stated: "After your decision not to provide funding to Scotland for expenses accrued in connection with the visit of President Donald Trump to Scotland in July 2025 and the following trip of Vice-President JD Vance, I am writing you to request that you review this stance and provide full reimbursement for the cost of the trips."

UK Government Response and Previous Example

The UK government stated that the trips were personal and "not official UK government business." A representative commented: "Holyrood are responsible for security expenses in Scotland as per established devolved funding arrangements."

While the Finance Secretary pointed to past instances where the British administration covered the expense of Trump’s 2018 visit to Scotland, it is understood that trip followed a official UK government invitation, in which instance it covered protection expenses under its funding guidelines.

"The UK government needs to step up and pay. I think it’s unreasonable, it was obviously a official trip … Especially when you have the prime minister Keir Starmer meeting with the president, having press conferences with him, conducting international business with them, its really hard to believe to say this was merely a private holiday trip."